How I met my Girlfriend
by devilnightking100
Summary: The promised fic of how Paul and Cera met, became partners, friends, and eventually more. PaulxCera if that wasn't obvious. Five-shot unless I decide to go farther, T because I'm paranoid.
1. The Rescue

_**As promised, one backstory on Paul and his girlfriend. Hope you enjoy, and remember flames will be responded to with Pikachu's thunderbolt. Also note: This takes place in year two of Ash and co's stay at the Archipelago.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

It started as any other day. It was about lunch time, so Clemont and Brock were cooking in one of the kitchens. Serena was practicing her showcase routines with Bonnie watching and a little farther off Ash and his Pokémon were training while the ravenette snuck a few peaks at the honey-blonde performer. Andre was doing who-knew-what, Max was helping Rebecca with whatever she was working on, and Paul was just napping against Torterra. Alain and Sawyer were back in Kalos for the time being, so no one in the courtyard could be sure what they were up to.

"Food's ready!" Max's voice cut through the courtyard as everyone wrapped up what they were doing, Paul being the only one not reacting as he was fast asleep. The following smells of food changed that fact fairly quickly as the purplette stretched and joined the rest at the table.

...

"You're sure?" Andre asked.

"Of course I'm sure. Puka and I barely got out of there before they spotted us." Sekui replied. "I'm staying at the nearby hotel, just call when you've got a taskforce put together. The way those Pokémon were being treated..."

"Humans are disgusting beings sometimes, we both know that." Andre sighed. "I'm on my way with back-up. Call you when we get close." he said mildly, cutting the call and making for where he knew Ash and the others to be. Coming to the courtyard and seeing them enjoying their lunch. "Sorry to interrupt but I need Ash and Paul's help."

"Why our help?" Ash asked through a mouthful of hamburger.

"Ash, food." Serena reminded with a playful eye roll. "But I am curious why you need those two myself."

"They're the two best battlers on this island besides me and I've got an underground Pokémon battle arena that people are betting their Pokémon on. And those Pokémon don't always make it out."

"That's horrible!" Clemont gasped.

"What kind of people would do that to a Pokémon?" Bonnie demanded.

"People who are even more messed up and cruel than I ever was." Paul answered, standing. "When do we leave?"

"Two hours." Andre replied, turning to the rest. "And we need as small a force as possible to maintain stealth so Ash, Paul, and I are the _only ones_ going." he added, daring anyone to challenge him. Serena looked like she was about to before Ash put his hand on hers and she quieted.

...

The trio of trainers arrived on MelleMelle Island about an hour after they had left the Archipelago's borders, each with grim looks. Andre looked to Paul, riding Honchkrow, then Ash riding Charizard. "Alright, who do you two have with you?" he asked, sitting on Frozen's back while they landed.

"I brought Electivire, Honchkrow, Ninjask, Froslass, Aggron, and Ursaring in case things get really hairy in there." Paul replied.

"I've got Infernape, Bayleaf, Pikachu, Charizard, Bulbasaur, and Latias." Ash added.

"Brought two Pokémon with a crush on you, clever." Andre joked. "We all know who I've got, so let's find Sekui."

"Right." the trio of trainers walked toward the hotel.

Andre was the one to knock on the door, it opening to reveal his Alolan Defender in her usual Gothorita shirt and pink shorts. "Good, everyone's here." she said, her usually upbeat nature vanished. "That means the six of us can get started."

"Six?" Andre asked, walking into the room. He was instantly greeted with the faces of Gladion and, to his surprise, Guzma. "Okay him I get but what are you doing here." the black-clad boy asked the Team Skull leader.

"Team Skull may be crooks, but my boys aren't cold enough to pull somethin like this. I'm gonna do what I do best. Beat em down and beat em down till they just can't get up." the white-haired man replied, placing a hand on one of his pokeballs.

Andre shrugged. "Whatever." he said casually, walking over to where Sekui stood. "What are we looking at?"

...

"There's the ground floor." Ash stated, looking at the unassuming cottage-style house down the hill they stood on.

Paul nodded. "The stadium is the next floor down." he recalled. "And the Pokémon not in use by the place's owner is just below." the purplette looked to his companion. "You remember your role?" he asked.

Had this been any other situation, Ash would have snapped good-naturedly but now he just nodded. "How many Pokémon do you think are trapped in there?" he asked.

"A lot more than there will be when we're done." Paul replied with his signature smirk. A water gun shot into the sky. "There's the signal, let's go." both trainers moved.

...

The stadium in the first basement was in chaos. It wasn't every day a freaking kyurem smashed into your stadium and started wrecking the place after all. A few trainers tried to hit Frozen with their fire types, but each time they attacked Tails was there to absorb the flames. "Tails, Flamethrower. Frozen, Glaciate." Andre ordered in a tone as cold as the dragon he was standing atop.

 _"Face judgement, humans."_ Frozen spat, unleashing his signature move.

" _Fire Dragon Roar!"_ Tails called, the flames spewing from her mouth.

"Golisopod, use First Impression then follow it up with your sick Waterfall!" Guzma ordered, his signature Pokémon following his command.

Most of the room's Pokémon went down, and many of the trainers who had gotten caught in the crossfire, but a few brave souls still remained. _Brave or incredibly foolish._ Andre thought with a smirk. He absently noticed that Paul and Ash had slipped into the door leading to the next floor, Sekui and Puka covering them with the latter's Sparkling Aria. _Arceus speed you two._ Andre thought, turning his attention back to the battle. "Alright Tails, Overheat! Shut them down!"

 _"Dragon Slayer Secret Art."_ Tails began, calling every flame she could. _"Flame Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!"_

Andre held out his hand, the familiar dark power rising as he spoke two simple words. "Dark Void."

...

Ash opened the first door only to find it empty sans a lucario that instantly came to them when promised a way out of this awful place. She(they had discovered that through a very unsavory observation toward her nether regions) followed close behind the two trainers and friendly Pikachu, rescuing other Pokémon they found before she had a feeling something was wrong. " _They're coming! They're coming after us!"_ she cried in panic.

"Some of them must have slipped past Sekui." Paul muttered. "Guess we'll have to fight em."

"No, Pikachu and I can bottleneck them here. There's only one room left to check farther down the hall. Get any Pokémon out of there and join up with us as soon as you can." Ash replied. Paul started to protest, but a look from the ravenette sent Paul to the end of the hall. He had just reached the door when the sounds of fighting started.

Paul quickly opened the door and saw a Luxray standing over a Ralts, one paw on the tiny psychic-and-fairy type's stomach and pressing down while the other scraped against its skin. _"Oh come on, where are those screams I love hearing so much? Do you want this to keep going?"_ it asked, grinning as its claw began traveling down the Pokémon's body.

Paul had seen enough. "Gastrodon Ice Beam!" he ordered, throwing a pokeball. The slug-like Pokémon attacked as soon as he had materialized, knocking the Luxray away. Paul was at the tiny Pokémon's side in an instant, checking for injuries like Brock had told him how to. As the Ralts started moving, Paul quickly spoke. "Stop. You're hurt but I can get you help."

 _"Wh-why? So you can use me?"_ the tiny (and Paul noticed feminine) voice weakly asked.

Paul smirked. "I'm not gonna lie. Once upon a time the answer would have been yes." he admitted, lifting the feeling Pokémon and looking to his own. "Gastrodon, Freeze that Luxray. Make sure it won't follow us." he ordered. Gastrodon nodded before going about his task. After only a few seconds, the luxray was frozen and Paul was walking out of the room with his Gastrodon behind him and the little Ralts in his arms. He found Ash with the other rescues, and Andre's portion of the invading trainers on the other side, clearly having caught the stragglers in a pincer strike.

…

Paul sat in the waiting room of the Pokémon center, waiting for any news on the rescues with the rest of the trainers who had helped with the rescue. A very tired Nurse Joy and Chancey appeared a little later, seeing the group and smiling as they approached. "The good news is that physically they'll all make a full recovery." she stated, causing everyone to let out a breath they didn't realize they had been holding. "The bad news is most of them are seriously afraid of any human contact. Not that I can blame them." she added quietly.

" _Hey, the ralts remember?"_ Chancey chirped, tapping her partner's side.

"Oh right, the ralts you all brought in wants to see, in her words, 'that boy with the Gastrodon.' I imagine she means you?" Joy guessed, looking at Paul.

The purplette nodded and stood, letting Joy escort him to that ralts' room. Chancey opened a door and pointed inside. Paul nodded in thanks before entering, seeing the ralts sitting in a bed far too big for her. "Hey, they said you wanted to see me?" he greeted, seeing a seat next to the bed and sitting in it.

The ralts kept looking forward, nodding. _"Why did you help me? Why not leave me to Luxray?"_ she asked.

Paul sighed. "Like I said, once upon a time I would have just done it because I wanted a Pokémon's power." he saw the Pokémon flinch and quickly continued, "But that's not the reason now. Now I just wanted to do some good, maybe to make up for what I did back then."

The ralts nodded, not feeling any deceit in the human's words. _"What's going to happen to me now?"_ she didn't want to go back to that house. She didn't want to go back to being some horrible creature's plaything.

Paul leaned back, relaxing as this was the easy part. "Andre will insist he take all of you to Paradise Archipelago. His strict rules on capturing Pokémon make it to where you won't be caught by any trainers you yourself don't chose that path. He won't force you, its never been his style, but I doubt any of you will reject that offer." he glanced at the feeling Pokémon. "Do you have a name?" he asked.

 _"Can't you see what I am?"_ the ralts asked in annoyance.

 _Annoyance is better than that empty hopelessness I guess._ Paul thought before responding. "That's not what I asked. I know Pokémon in the wild give their kids names so they can call them outside of another couple's kid. I mean if I called 'Hey Ralts' in a group of them, how would you know who I was calling for?"

The ralts giggled slightly. _"Your funny."_ she commented before hanging her head. _"I was born in that place, so I was only ever called Ralts. Do-does this mean I can chose my name?"_

Paul shrugged. "It's up to you, really. Andre has a Stoutland who is just called Stoutland for a similar reason." he replied.

 _"Cera."_ the newly dubbed Cera almost whispered. _"My name is Cera."_

"Well Cera, I'm Paul."

 _ **And done. This story will be separated into five parts. They are:**_

 _ **1\. The rescue**_

 _ **2\. The capture**_

 _ **3\. First evolution**_

 ** _4._** _**Second Evolution**_

 _ **5\. Confession**_

 _ **I'll be focusing on this as it's been bugging me for a while, but I will still be working on other stories along the way, so until next time!**_


	2. The Capture

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Paul was walking around the castle grounds, trying to think of something to do. He had already pushed his Pokémon to their limits and they needed a little rest, he had been to Dungeon Island recently, he had read most of the interesting books in the library. Truth be told, he was bored.

 _"H-Hi Paul."_ came the small voice. Paul turned to see Cera shuffling up to him shyly. Ah yes, his little friend. She had come with the rest of the rescues, just like he had thought, but instead of staying on Dungeon Island or going to Resort or Vault Island, she had insisted on staying with Paul despite not wanting to be caught. She was usually practicing her abilities, though Paul wasn't sure why considering she was already powerful for still being in her first evolutionary stage.

"Hey Cera. How's it been?" he asked, crouching to see the little Pokémon easier. What? She was so tiny! It would be easy to lose her in the tall grass, easier to lose her among Clemont's workshop clutter (not that she went there very often, Clemon't Luxray making her uneasy).

" _I've been okay. I've managed to get a handle on my powers now."_ she replied. Why was she drawn to this human? Sure, he had saved her and had kept his word not to catch her unless she wanted to, but then she should feel just as comfortable around Ash or Andre... well maybe not Andre, the guy was scary.

"Cera? Earth to Cera." Paul was calling. "You okay? You zoned out a bit." he asked.

Cera blushed at the human's concern but shook her head. " _I'm alright, just thinking."_ sensing his next question, she added, " _About before."_

Cera began shaking and Paul scooped her up, holding her close. He did that a lot. Any time she began thinking of the past she got a panic attack, and every time Paul would be there to comfort her. She could feel the rage coming off of him, but she was pretty sure it wasn't directed at her. She was right. Paul's anger was directed at the ones who had left such emotional scars on such an innocent creature. Paul shook his head slightly. Where had that come from? Paul looked at Cera, who was still shaking and he began to whisper, "It's alright. You never have to go back there. You're safe." After a few minutes, Cera calmed down and lifted her head. "You okay now?"

She nodded and Paul began to set her down. _"Wait!"_ she said suddenly. Paul stopped and returned to his earlier position. _"C-can I just stay on your shoulder for a while? I'm still not completely calm."_

Even now Paul didn't really like physical contact, avoiding Ash's fist bumps and "bro hugs" with expert precision and Bonnie's hugs with slightly less success (that girl must have sugar instead of blood with how hyper she was), but for a reason he couldn't understand, he helped Cera balance on his right shoulder. "Hold tight now, don't need you falling." he commanded.

Cera took a few moments, but once she was secure she smiled. _"Thank you, Paul."_ she whispered quietly. Suddenly, an idea struck her. _"Hey, you seemed bored when I came up to you, care to listen to an idea?"_

"What?" Paul asked, hoping the ralts had a way to alleviate his boredom.

 _"That room you said had all the stories, do you think you could read me one?"_ Cera asked with a blush.

Paul thought it over. He hadn't really read _to_ anyone before. It could be interesting. Shrugging, Paul began to walk toward the library.

..One week later..

"The end." Paul finished, snapping the book closed. Cera sighed as he placed the book on the pile. "So, what did you think?" he asked.

 _"It was great. I defnintely liked that the Gallade confessed to his crush."_ Cera replied. Paul only shrugged. The story was okay, but romances weren't really his thing. He preferred the more intellectual stories where the protagonist solved the problem through strategy and skill. _"Hey, you're headed to Dungeon Island now, right?"_ the ralts asked.

"That's right." Paul replied. He had been planning to take Electivire into the Deep Canyon since he heard form Andre that there was something there he would be interested in. Even if the hybrid was just sending him on a wild goose chase, it was good training for his ace. "Why? You wanna come?"

 _"I-if you don't mind."_ was Cera's timid reply. Paul stood, placing his little companion in her usual spot on his shoulder as he grunted out an okay.

He went to grab Electivire, who had decided to spar with Infernape while he waited for his trainer, when the purplette saw one of the more tolerable members of Ash's group coming toward him. "Hey Paul, off to Deep Canyon?" Brock asked.

"Yeah. Even if this is some wild goose chase it'll be good practice for later." Paul replied, absently glancing at Cera. As he expected, she was trying to hide by keeping her grip on his coat and slipping behind his back.

"I see Cera is still afraid of pretty much everyone but you." Brock noted, worry laced in his voice.

"Can you blame her? After what she went through, it's really not that much of a surprise." Paul retorted. Brock flinched at the stoic trainer's icy tone. Paul left with Cera before he could offer any response, though.

..Deep Canyon..

"Thunder Punch!" Paul ordered, his loyal Pokémon using the electrically charged attack to knock a nitorino away. "Nice job, how you feeling?"

 _"Tired, but I'm still good for a few rounds."_ the electric type replied, pumping his fist. Paul smirked as the trio continued. Electivire took the lapse in aggressive Pokémon to study their little tag-along. The ralts, Cera if he remembered right, was the Pokémon who had stuck to Paul's side instead of living here on Dungeon Island. And recently Paul had been leaving his Pokémon to their own devices to spend time reading to the little Pokémon. Not that he was complaining, it felt nice to be able to take it easy once in a while, but it was out of character for his trainer to leave them to train themselves even now that he'd become more mindful of his Pokémon's condition during training.

It only took a little longer for them to reach what Paul assumed to be their destination. The center of the canyon was mostly a clearing with the exception of a rock on a pedestal. Paul looked said rock over before turning to his Pokémon. "Any idea what this is? I'm drawing a blank."

 _"I-it's gardevoirite."_ Cera gasped. _"It's the mega stone you need to Mega Evolve gardevoir."_

"But I don't have a gardevoir. Why would Andre send me to find this when-" Paul ranted before noticing the anxiety of his passenger.

 _"W-well a ralts can use it if they evolve the right way. If you want to use it, I could become your Pokémon._ " Cera offered. _Plus if I evolve maybe I'll be cured of that._ she added mentally.

"Cera, did you know this would be here?" Paul asked suspiciously. Cera nodded meekly. The trainer could only sigh. "Alright, I'm gonna let you down so I can do this properly." he said mildly, lifting the ralts off his shoulder and setting her on the ground before digging in his pack for that pokeball Brock had said would be perfect if he ever caught Cera. Finding the Friend Ball, he tapped her head with it and the ball flashed for a few seconds before dinging, signaling the capture a success. Paul smiled slightly as he let Cera back out of the Friend Ball. "I guess this is the part where I say welcome to the team." he chuckled, placing Cera back on his shoulder before placing the mega stone into his pack and heading out with his Pokémon.

 _ **And done! Well, that was the second in this five-chapter fic, but it's late and I need to go to bed, so no more chapters tonight. Sorry and see you soon!**_


	3. First Evolution

_**Here we go, the first evolution of little Cera.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

"Hey Paul, think you and I could have a battle?" Ash asked, approaching the purplette while he was monitoring his Pokémon's training.

"Any particular ideas?" Paul asked, turning to his rival.

"Well, I did want to get some training in with Bayleef. We haven't battled together in a while." Ash replied.

Paul nodded, turning toward his Pokémon. "Hey!" he called, catching all their attentions. "Ash wants a battle, who's game?"

 _"I'll do it!"_ Cera's voice cut through the air. Paul watched his newest Pokémon make her way toward the front of the group, rubbing her hands together nervously. _"I'll do it."_

Paul shrugged and turned toward Ash. "The lady has spoken, let's get this underway." he declared.

...

"Bayleef, I choose you!" Ash called, throwing the pokeball into the air. Bayleef tackled Ash, nuzzling him as he laughed. "Alright, alright! It's battle time, not affection time!" he laughed out. The grass type took a battle stance and glared at Paul.

"Cera, stand by for battle." Paul ordered, the psychic-and-fairy type leaping forward. "Alright, use Lucky Chant to start with."

Cera began chanting under her breath as Ash called his move. "Alright Bayleef, use Vine Whip!"

"Dodge it!" Paul ordered. Cera dodged right, but found herself caught in her enemy's attack. _Why didn't she get out of the way soon enough?_ the purplette thought. He knew how fast Cera was, she could have dodged that attack easily since it was coming directly at her. "Don't panic, use Confusion."

 _Gotta focus._ Cera thought, gathering her energy. A blue aura outlined the Feelings Pokémon and flowed down the vines holding her. Bayleef found herself lifted and tossed.

"Hang in there Bayleef! Use Razor Leaf!" Ash ordered.

" _Take this, runt!"_ Bayleef snapped, whipping her head leaf and sending the razor-sharp leaves at the tiny Pokémon.

"Cera, use Teleport to get behind them." Paul ordered. He could swear he saw his Pokémon panic slightly before vanishing. Paul brushed it off as first-battle jitters until Cera appeared behind Ash instead of Bayleef. "What are you doing next to Ash?" he asked, annoyance lacing his voice.

" _I'm sorry!"_ the ralts squeaked, vanishing again before appearing in the wrong spot again.

An idea struck Paul. "Teleport twenty feet at three o'clock." he ordered. This time Cera appeared behind Bayleef like he wanted and Paul smirked. "Distance two feet, she's on the ground. Use Ice Punch!" Cera moved, surrounding her fist in ice.

"Bayleef, use Vine Whip to jump!" Ash ordered, a little confused at Paul's new ordering style.

Bayleef did as instructed, leaping a few feet in the air. "Angle fourty-five degrees, jump on my mark." Paul called. Cera continued moving. "Jump now!" Cera leaped, smashing the ice type attack she had been charging into the astonished grass type. "Now use Confusion!" Bayleef found herself meeting the ground faster than she anticipated, knocking her out.

" _I...I did it?"_ Cera gasped. She began leaping for joy. " _I did it!"_ she cheered, beginning to glow with a blue light. When said light faded, Cera was taller with longer hair, a horn standing out on either side of her head, and a knee-length skirt as she began twirling.

"Wow Cera, you evolved!" Ash cheered.

Everyone took note of the horrified look on the kirlia's face. " _But, but that can't be right. It was supposed to go away when I evolved. It didn't go away."_ she started rambling.

 _"What didn't go away?"_ Pikachu asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"She's blind." Paul stated, kneeling next to his Pokémon. "Aren't you?" Cera shook as she nodded. "It's alright, I figured it out while we were battling and you still won. This just means I need to think of something to help you get stronger despite it."

 _"Y-you're not going to abandon me because I'm blind?"_ Cera asked nervously.

"No." Paul stated. "That's not how I operate anymore. We'll just have to figure things out from here on in." Cera's smile was contagious as Ash, Pikachu, and though he wouldn't admit it, Paul all smiled as the purplette picked his Pokémon up and glanced at Ash. "You should probably see to Bayleef." he said casually, turning to leave as Ash began to fuss over his grass type.

 _ **And done. Now Cera's a kirlia and her secret's out. Has anyone actually seen a Pokémon with a disability of any sort before? (Psyduck doesn't count) Just curious. Anyway leave a review to tell me what you thought and I'll see you when Cera evolves again. How will things go? You'll have to find out, as the journey continues.**_


	4. Second Evolution

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Paul and Cera were at Dungeon Island training. _Angle fifty degrees, distance two clicks. Use Psywave!_ Paul ordered. Cera did as instructed, firing and striking the pidgeotto, knocking it out. "Well done, we're getting better with the telepathic system." the purplette's tone was still cold, but the ghost of a smile told of his pride in his Pokémon.

 _"So, where are we heading next?"_ Cera asked, stretching her powers to see if there was any other hostile Pokémon around. _"I can't sense any hostility. I think we've bled this area dry."_

"Think you can teleport us to Amp Plains? It should be good practice." Paul suggested.

...

 _"P-Paul, what do we do?"_ Cera asked, sensing the black holes in the area that signified approaching dark types.

"Just stay calm, I brought Nidoking just in case something like this happened." Paul replied, reaching for the spare pokeball on his belt and cursing his luck. They had landed right in the middle of a Monster House and, while the mareep and elekid were easy enough to handle, there were still a considerable amount of luxio and Cera was of course in the beginnings of a panic attack. "Nidoking, standby for battle!" he called, the giant poison-and-ground type appearing with a roar. "Use Earth Power to take these Luxio out."

 _"Eat it you lynx-like brats!"_ Nidoking called, stomping his foot and making the ground erupt under him. The attack easily knocked out the luxio and Paul called for his Pokémon to move, scooping up Cera as he turned to the nearest corridor. Nidoking, just behind his trainer, looked at the shaking emotion Pokémon. " _You gonna be okay kid?_ " he asked.

 _"I'll be fine. J-just give me a few minutes."_ Cera replied.

...

This couldn't have been worse. Nidoking stomped on the ground, using Earth Power to do as much damage as possible to the luxio tribe and their luxray leader. Paul was trying to keep an eye on all their opponents, berating himself for not bringing Electivire or Torterra as his Drill Pokémon fended off the electric-and-dark types. He was tiring, Paul could see that, but Cera was a mess, practically catatonic as the flashbacks overwhelmed her. All the pain, all the suffering in that room.

 _"Fire Dragon Roar!"_ a jet of flames smacked a luxio in the back, and Tails leaped into the clearing. _"You guys look like you could use some help."_ she giggled.

"Tails? Then that means-"

"Shadow Claw." came the all too familiar hiss. Andre swung at the nearest luxio, knocking it out with the powerful ghost-type claws surrounding his hands. Turning to the others he asked, "Alright, who else wants a piece of me?" The battle resumed with a lot of pressure being lifted from Paul and Nidoking.

They had nearly won when the lead luxray lunged at Paul, intent on taking at least one down before falling himself. Cera sensed the movement, and the fear of losing her trainer overwhelmed the fear of her past. " _Stay away from him!"_ the kirlia shouted, firing a Magical Leaf and smacking the luxray away. Paul spun around and saw how close he was to harm or worse before looking over to his kirlia.

Who was glowing. When the light faded, Cera had grown to a few inches shorter than Paul himself, her skirt now an elegant gown and a red spike protruding from her chest. "Cera evolved into a Gardevoir, huh?" Andre chuckled, batting a luxio away.

"Cera, can you teleport us out of here?" Paul asked, recalling Nidoking as he dropped the last of the luxio.

"I'll take Frozen back, so see you guys at home." Andre called, throwing his Dusk Ball and calling for the gigantic ice dragon, Tails hopping oh his shoulder before the trio took off.

...

"Cera evolved?" Brock asked as Andre landed in the courtyard. Paul and Cera had gotten a good distance from the clearing before teleporting, so they had only just beaten him back to the castle.

"Yeah, beating a luxray of all things." Andre chuckled, glancing at the newly evolved psychic-and-fairy type. "Which begs the question, has she gotten past her fear?"

"I can help with that." Clemont offered.

 _"NO!"_ Cera practically screamed, making everyone but Paul jump. Blushing and rubbing her hands together, she added, " _I...I could only do anything because Paul was in danger. I went back to that shaking mess as soon as Andre left."_

Clemont nodded his understanding and took his hand off of Luxray's pokeball. "Well, if you ever want to try just let me know."

Cera offered a small smile before feeling everyone's eyes on her, praising her for her evolution and complimenting her new appearance. The embrace Pokémon smiled shyly at the other's words, but inched closer to Paul. The purplette rolled his eyes at his friends' obliviousness before pushing Cera behind him(A gesture she very much appreciated). "Alright guys, that's enough. You know she's still nervous around people." he stated.

"People that aren't you." Bonnie added, pointing to Cera who was currently trying to make herself as small as possible behind her trainer.

"Well he is the one who saved her from that horrible luxray during the raid," Max pointed out.

Brock nodded his agreement. "Yeah, it would only make sense the one to save her is the one she's most comfortable around."

 _"Although Cera seems to be getting very comfortable around Paul recently." _Tails whispered to Andre, who only chuckled as he left his guests to their devices.

 _ **And done! Well, what did people think? Don't worry, Cera will face her fear head-on eventually, just not in this side story. Otherwise how did I do? And what do you think of Tails' little comment? Well, find out if Cera realizes and acts on her feelings, as the journey continues.**_


	5. The Confession

_**Final stretch, here we go.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Andre heard a knock on his door. "Come in." he called, used to the occurrence. Ash's gang was always cycling through his office offering help, asking advice, or challenging him to a battle (The last one was mostly Ash, kid was tenacious). He wasn't used to seeing the purplette that came in. "Paul? This is a surprise." the black-clad boy chuckled. "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you could help me figure something out." Paul replied nervously, coming in and sitting in one of the chairs.

Andre was sure if he was drinking something he would have done a spit take. He felt Tails' eyes widen more than saw it as she hopped from her trainer's shoulder. "Come again?" the trainer asked.

"You heard me. Can you help me figure something out?" Paul repeated in his usual annoyed tone.

Andre shook his head and chuckled, sitting across from his guest. "Depends. If it's something about training I can definitely help. If you want to take a trip to one of the regions I can help. If you're finally realizing you've got the hots for Cera I don't know how much help I can be."

Paul almost fell out of his chair anime style. "How did you-?"

Andre barely contained his laughter. "Paul. You're a completely different person since she came into your life. Good different, mind you. But let's list the facts. One: You two are pretty much joined at the hip. This is the first time since you two met that I've even seen you without her. Two: You pretty much dote on her, reading her stories, helping manage her blindness and grow stronger, and spend any and all free time doing something she enjoys. I remember the picnic last week." Paul blushed slightly at having been caught, but Andre wasn't done. "Three: Everyone has noticed it. Hell, _Ash_ noticed you're starting to develop feelings for your gardevoir."

Paul almost facepalmed. If oblivious Ash noticed the way he's been acting, it must have been obvious. "And the fact she is a gardevoir doesn't bother you?"

That time Andre laughed aloud, Tails soon following as she rolled onto her back and kicked her legs. "Paul, I'd be the biggest hypocrite in the world if I said that was wrong in my eyes!" the black-clad boy managed to get out between his laughs. After calming down slightly, he continued, "And would anyone on this island really be all that off-put?"

Paul thought it over. Ash would probably go into a speech about how "If your heart says it's okay, then go for it." Serena would think it was romantic in a forbidden love kind of way, the girl was hopeless. Clemont and Bonnie already suspected him, and had admitted they didn't care about something like that. The only possible problems he could see were with Max and Brock, and even then he doubted the thought. A wry grin on his face, he stood. "I guess you have a point, thanks Andre."

"You're welcome." the hybrid replied, watching the purplette go. "Just don't forget to tell Cera how you feel." he added. Paul jerked slightly before glaring at Andre and slammed the door, prompting a laughing fit from the dynamic duo of the room.

..At the same time..

Cera was admiring the flowers around the training grounds. Paul had asked her to keep an eye on the team's training while he talked to Andre about something important, but she knew the others would keep training as hard as they could without her supervision. She still glanced over now and again but they didn't capture her attention.

"Hey Cera!" the gardevoir extended her powers to "see" Bonnie approaching. "How are you?" the blonde asked.

" _I'm well. How about you?"_ Cera replied. People still made her nervous, but Bonnie's energy and innocence seemed to put the Pokémon at ease more often than not.

"I'm great! I was kinda bored, so Squishy and I decided to come to the training grounds to see how Paul was doing. Where is he anyway?" Bonnie wondered, plopping down on the grass.

Cera giggled. _"He said he had to talk to Andre about something. I imagine he'll be back soon."_ she replied. She heard the blonde mutter something but didn't catch it. _"I'm a little surprised to find you without Max. Where is he?"_

Cera knew Bonnie was blushing as she replied, "H-he's helping Rebecca and Clemont with something. I still don't understand the technobabble those three spout sometimes."

The two chatted for a few minutes before Cera felt Paul's approach. _"As lovely as it's been to talk to you, Bonnie, I have to get back to my training."_

"Oh come on! Everyone knows you're Paul's ace at this point." Bonnie grumbled. Cera had to admit the girl was right. She had been training non-stop, even challenging Torterra, Ursaring, and Electivire three-on-one to improve herself. She wasn't interested in being an ace, she just wanted to be powerful enough not to disappoint the first person to believe in her.

 _"Even so, if I take it too easy I'll lose my edge."_ Cera countered, focusing on the boulder she knew to be a few feet away from her. It was a simple warm-up exercise, she had done it a million times, but this time she took a deep breath before gathering her power and lifting the rock. It was heavy, it always was, but she still lifted it about a foot above her head before moving it in a figure eight a few times.

"Cera, can I talk to you for a moment?" Paul's voice cut her concentration and she dropped the boulder, causing the ground to shake and catching the attention of the other Pokémon training.

 _"S-sure, just give me a second."_ Cera replied, lifting the boulder and placing it back in it's usual spot before joining her trainer's side. _"What's up?"_

"Not here, come on." he replied, taking her hand and leading her away.

Cera was sure she was blushing. She knew she loved Paul, there was no doubt in her mind about that, but she couldn't help the fluttering of her heart whenever he showed any affection for her. She was sure she was reading too much into it. He's a human after all, how could he ever love a Pokémon? That was why she never told him. She was worried he'd reject her, or worse release her. She was happy by his side, she didn't have to be in his heart. She was snapped from her thoughts as Paul stopped abruptly. She felt his hand let go of hers and silently bemoaned the loss of heat. " _So what was so important that you had to pull me away from the others?"_ she asked playfully.

Though she couldn't see it, Paul rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I needed to tell you something and I didn't want that blonde demon overhearing and broadcasting it to the world." he admitted. Cera giggled at her trainer's description of Bonnie. The girl was a hopeless romantic and often tried to play matchmaker, usually with Andre's help. "Cera, I want to know exactly how you feel about me."

Cera's confusion at the request was evident. How she felt? Did he know? Best to play it safe for now. " _I think you're harsh but fair, that you're the greatest trainer I could ask for, and I've always wanted to be a Pokémon you could be proud to have on your team despite the fact I'm blind. Is that all you wanted?"_

"No." Paul replied, shaking his head. "I know you're hiding something from me, Cera. And I think I know what it is."

Cera was close to panicking. He couldn't know, could he? Was this why he had brought her aside? Was he going to release her? Of course, who would want some blind gardevior for a mate? Paul could see the beginnings of a panic attack come over his ace and he did as he always did, pulling her in for a tight hug. Cera's chest spike poked him slightly but he couldn't find it in him to care. "Cera, I'm about to do something completely crazy and out of character. Feel free to stop me at any time." he whispered into her ear before tilting her head to face him. Paul began to move his face closer to hers.

Cera couldn't believe it. Was this really happening? Was Paul about to...YES! He was kissing her! The embrace Pokémon felt happy tears form in her eyes as she returned the kiss. She could sense the relief in Paul as the two basically made out wherever they were(In a hall near his room). After the need for air overtook them, the two separated, panting heavily. _"You were right, there was something I was hiding because I was afraid of what you would do. But now those fears are gone."_ Cera admitted, pulling her trainer close. _"I love you, Paul. And I have for a long time now."_

Paul smiled against his Pokémon's forehead as he placed a soft kiss. "I love you too, Cera." he whispered.

 _ **And done! This concludes How I met my Girlfriend, but reviews are always welcome. I'm also probably going to get back to My Ash Betrayal fic soon, so be on the lookout for that, but otherwise leave a review on what you thought, no flames or Pikachu will hit you with a thunderbolt, and I'll see you all later.**_


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